Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of non-monetised industry costs in the 2018 Nutrient Profiling Model's impact assessment on levels of cost for food manufacturers.

The new Nutrient Profile Model (NPM) is built on the latest science and has been updated in line with the latest dietary advice, particularly in relation to free sugars, which are more strongly correlated with poor health outcomes, including obesity.

The Government committed in the 10-Year Health Plan to updating the standards behind the advertising and promotions restrictions on ‘less healthy’ food and drink by applying the new NPM. Applying the new NPM to these policies is expected to reduce a further 110,000 cases of childhood obesity. We published the new NPM on 27 January 2026, and on 25 March 2026 we launched a 12-week consultation on its proposed application to the restrictions, as well as a consultation-stage impact assessment.

The consultation-stage impact assessment includes impacts on businesses.

The impact assessment takes account of likely consumer behaviour, using recent purchasing data and modelling which includes assumptions about how consumers and businesses may respond to the restrictions. This could include consumers switching between products and retailers using alternative promotional activity. These assumptions were tested through sensitivity analysis.

We have engaged extensively with stakeholders throughout the consultation period and sought further evidence on the potential impacts of the proposals as part of the consultation process. We will use the evidence gathered to inform the final impact assessment which, subject to the outcome of the consultation, would be published ahead of any legislative changes being made.